. >> susie: with all the slings and arrows on capitol hill this week about the fiscal cliff, americans are finding little to laugh at. and tonight that's got lou thinking about having a sense of humor. here's author and educator lou heckler. >> because i use a lot of humorous stories in the speeches i give, i am often asked: what if you don't have much of a sense of humor? i think we all have the capability to enjoy humor. i also know lots of things get in the way: stressful and exacting jobs, maybe health problems you have or someone close to you has. those are real and they can be barriers. that said, i can't think of anything that keeps life in perspective more than cultivating and using a sense of humor. i remember my mother and dad saying this about someone they admired: he's cool, calm, and collected. i think those three apply to well-placed humor, too. cool brings a burst of fresh air into situations that can get overheated. calm: it's hard to be funny and angry at the same time. if you are both, that's sarcasm. collected: the shortest distance between two people is a smile. we